Show Me What You Feel
by GreyAllTheWay
Summary: Cat Grant's attention was always focused on raising her empire. But when Kara Danvers strolled in her office, all sunny and bright, she realized her attention might have to be divided towards more than just her work.
1. Convince, don't praise

Millennials. That's all she interviewed these days. That's all that came through her glass doors. She sees the same enthusiasm to work, the same thirst to prove themselves, the same attention they crave. Just because they've successfully delivered her some layouts doesn't mean they immediately deserve a gold start and an early leave for the day. You don't just receive success and acknowledgement, you earn it.

They don't seem to understand that.

"Next," Cat yelled out as the tall, handsome and privileged boy walks out her office, hoping he impressed her with his long resume. A long resume is not impressive; it's what's on it that's truly worth the bucks. Part-time jobs at Starbucks and McDonald's don't do it for Cat Grant. She stood up, and tried again. "Where's my 10:15?" Before anyone would come in, she walked out on her balcony for a very much needed breath of fresh air.

As she let out a long exhale, a shy but fairly determined voice came from behind her. "Miss Grant? I'm here for the, uhm, job interview?"

"Out here," she spoke loudly. She could hear the sound of high heels making their way out in the spacious balcony. As she turned around, she was welcomed with a tall, even more shy-looking girl. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. Cat studied her from head to toe; she was wearing a white button-down shirt tucked neatly in magenta pants, followed by black high-heeled boots.

After the short silence in which Cat just watched her, Kara said, visibly gathering some courage, "My name is Kara Danvers and I'm here for the assistant job interview." She smiled warmly, extending her CV and Cat took it lazily. She was leaning over the balcony's railing and as she glanced down at Kara's work and achievements history, she noticed she didn't have nearly as many jobs noted down as the previously interviewed boy.

"And Kiera…" Cat said, but Kara interrupted her as soon as she finished.

"It's… uhm... Kara."

"What's that?" Cat asked, still looking at the paper.

"My name… it's pronounced _Kara_ …" she corrected her, but as soon as she'd done it, she regretted it.

Cat shot her a look that told her to never correct her again, because she knew how to pronounce names correctly. She knew how to read. She just didn't want to yet.

"Right," she continued. "So Kiera, what makes you so special? Why do you think you'd be perfect for this job?"

Ignoring the misspelling of her name again, she replied, her voice more determined this time, "I want to follow a career in the vast world of media and news. I truly believe CatCO is the perfect place for me to be right now."

"And why is that?" Cat asked curiously.

"It's one of the most respected and read magazine from America, let alone National City. It's got a big audience and, well, a very well earned one ever since its creation. I've been following it ever since I can remember." Cat didn't notice any trace of trying to praise the magazine and her empire to be impressive, just sheer honesty. Whether to believe that or not, she was yet to find out.

She looked at her for a second, and then added, "You do know you're applying for the job of an assistant now, right? _My_ assistant?"

"Of course," she replied in a matter-of-factly voice. "Everyone must start somewhere, and I know this job will give a lot of knowledge and experience to begin with. I just… want to be worthwhile."

Somewhere along her answers she's lost her nervousness, or at least any visible one. She formed courage over talking about something that excites her, something that interests her. A job she cares about having, a title she'd work to earn.

Cat walked past her back to her desk, and Kara followed her, continuing, "Miss Grant, I don't care if this job implies bringing you coffee, or arranging your schedule and meetings."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat asked quickly, once she settled back in her chair.

She fixed her glasses which didn't need fixing and replied just as straight-forward, "It means that I'm in, no matter the task. I just want to work my way up," she said, and this time her sincerity was obvious.

Cat didn't change her attitude much, but inside she was going over everything this girl had told her. She didn't look impressed, but deep down, she started to be.

"Very well then," she said finally. "You will receive a call regarding the job."

Kara looked a bit downcast at the final answer, but she came back quickly, putting up her smile and saying, "Thank you for your time." She left the office, her high heels audible on the hardwood floor.

Needing little time to think, Cat wrote down _REPORTER_ on her resume. She wasn't sure about this job yet, but she was sure about this girl's future.

The lunch and afternoon flew by as she interviewed several other applicants, all with the boosted confidence and well-polished resumes. Her head was filled with all kinds of previous jobs and the same promises to do their job not just well, to do their job _right_. _It's all empty promises_ , she thought. They're never as they pose themselves to be. She ends up firing one every month or so.

With a drink in her hand, she stood out in the balcony again, sitting down on one of her leather armchairs and ran the candidates in her mind again. They never truly want to write down "worked at CatCO" because of the actual magazine, they wanted it for the success its been having and for how renounced it was.

Then she came to her mind.

The one, who, she can say, was different from the rest.

She didn't just show interest for the job to make an impact on Cat; she showed interest because she truly _wanted_ it. The fact that she said that this is a beginning in a career for her, that's what truly impressed Cat. Knowing how to start, and where to start was always very important to her.

She thought about who she would trust on handling all her meetings and appointments, who she would depend on to transmit the right information to her; which of the candidates would be that one organized and present person to do it.

It was Kara. The only one she could think of from between all of her candidates was Kara.

She thought back of an older assistant of hers. Perhaps the worst one she's ever had. She was just as smiley and positive as Kara. She hired her because she _seemed_ organized and with her feet on the ground, and yet her head was in the clouds all the time. She got her orders wrong many times, hardly learning from her mistakes. Cat kept her around because she thought she could teach her, that she could make her more focused and directed to her work, but she couldn't, as if she would not learn what Cat told her all the time.

She didn't know why she read her wrong. She was always good at reading people and learning their personalities from a few meetings. But this one had been tricky. So she had to fire her, for the good of her work and her company.

She was still at the beginning, learning how to run an empire.

Now she was at the top of her game. Through her mistakes and wrongs she learnt. And now she knew talent when she saw it.

And Kara Danvers had talent.


	2. Know the road

The elevator doors opened and she marched out, her Louboutin heels echoing on the floor, making her presence known. As she passed by her assistant's desk, she stopped briefly to look at it. Kara was sitting in her chair, leaning over the desk, writing something. She's visibly settled in, as many new objects were placed on her table. Just from the way her things were placed she could recognize order and cleanliness were some of Kara's main priorities.

She might've not heard Cat come in, for when Cat spoke she was slightly startled.

"Kiera," she said rather stridently and Kara jumped a little from her chair. "Follow me."

She made her way into her office, knocking off her shoes and sitting down.

When she finally looked up at Kara, she was holding up a notebook and a pencil, grasping it too much perhaps, because her knuckles were white.

Noticing, she told her, "Kiera, relax, I'm not going to kill you."

Kara's mouth formed a smile, saying, "Oh, I… I'm just a little nervous. It's my first day. First days are always intense."

"Right, well then, let me fill you up on what this job consists of."

"Before we get into it, I just wanted to thank you, Miss Grant. This job is very important to me, and I'm going to do my best at it," Kara said eagerly.

"You don't have to try to win me over. I hired you because I saw the potential in you no other candidate had." Before continuing she glanced at her new assistant and she saw her look down and smile shortly. "Keep your head up, Kiera. Now; the first thing I need when I come in is a hot latte before anything else. And when I say hot, I mean _really_ hot."

Kara scribbled something on her notepad, as Cat continued with her requests. "Whoever tries to contact me, will get to you first. You pick up the phone, no matter what, and make an appointment right after for anything: meetings, lunches, dinners, phone calls, anything. Also, whenever I tell you do reservations, you book them right away, even if you're not at work. Sometimes they're more important than they seem." Her voice sounded like she'd said this a hundred times before, but she still spoke clearly. All of these were important. Her job wasn't to scare Kara, it was to make her understand and, after all, as Kara said it herself, to learn.

Because if Kara failed, she failed too.

"When any of the departments call you up, like art, management, finances, you go. They will ask you to bring me the magazines layouts, to handle papers, bills. If there are any decisions to be made, you run them by me first."

Kara nodded, still noting down things occasionally.

"Do you have any questions?" Cat asked, as she opened her laptop and started typing.

"Not for now," she answered, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

Cat looked up at her, taking off her glasses. "I know it sounds complicated, but you'll get the hang of it quickly."

Kara smiled and nodded again, going back to her paperwork.

"Kiera?"

Kara looked back. "I need my latte," Cat said without looking up.

"Right away, Miss Grant."

In a week's time Kara seemed to be getting used to this job. Cat's latte was hot every morning, her appointments were made. She attended her meetings in time, her schedule being right every time.

Truthfully, Kara got lost a few times in her first couple of days on her way to management or such, making her task run late, Cat therefore getting annoyed.

 _It was nearing lunch and her head was pounding. The month's issue needed to be finished by the end of the day. Cat needed the layouts. She told Kara to go get them; for some reason the entire production was running late. They didn't have as much time in their hands as usual, and whenever that happened, it drove Cat slightly crazy. She hated not being on time, especially when it came to her work because, like any person, she liked her work recognized for her successes and achievements, not for its little flaws or delays._

 _Kara was already ten minutes late and that costed her a lot. So when she finally made her appearance in her boss's office, she was clenching those layouts like dear life. She was catching up with her breath as she made her way to her boss._

 _"_ _Miss Grant, I'm so sorry, I… I got lost on my way to… to the Art… Department," she said panting._

 _She handed the needed material and as she looked over them, Cat started lecturing her. "You know, Kiera, I could make you a map on this entire building," she started cynically. "It would help you complete your tasks better and more efficiently." She could hear Kara still breathing heavily. "Except… I_ run _this building. I run the halls you keep getting lost in and I don't exactly have the time and patience to do it. You might think we're just creating a magazine here, something people read for pure entertainment. But that's not right, is it? This is not just a magazine; it's not just something you read while you sip on your morning coffee. For many people this is guidance in life. We share interviews will successful people who tell us their secrets, their ways of reaching goals, therefore accomplishing what they've been dreaming of since age 5. People who sit at home and read this look up to us to share what all those stars and celebrities and famous people have in their sleeves that helped them get where they are today. For many people they are heroes. Well, most of them, of course. So the next time you're running late, think of all those people. Know that by fetching me these simple layouts you're actually helping in creating what those people_ die _to read every month."_

 _She finally looked up and said, "In such manner Kiera, learn this building. Know the hallways and know the offices like the back of your own damn hand. Remember this because you yourself said it; you want to be worthwhile? You want to share the news? You want to contribute to people's happiness? This is it. Know the road, Kiera."_

 _Kara seemed outright remorseful. All she did was nod and leave the office. That was, after all, the only thing she could do._

In two weeks' time CatCO became Kara's second home. Since the "incident", Kara's been staying late at work with one of the IT guys, Winn. Cat was staying late at work because she had a ton of work to do every day. Kara didn't, and yet she truly made herself a map. Helped by Winn, they would walk throughout the building, Kara holding her notebook and writing down directions. As Cat noticed, she also had a very good memory, so she might've not needed that notebook that much, Cat was sure. Maybe she was just scared to not screw up again, so she brought her notebook everywhere, for reassurance.

Now whenever her boss asked, Kara would almost run off to where she was needed. The layouts were almost always brought, if not on time, earlier. Her coffee continued to be hot, her appointments and meetings were always correct and she was getting to know her assistant.

She noticed how Kara understood quickly, how she processed everything just well. She hardly asked any questions. Her desk was as organized as ever, no matter the time of day.

Kara had a very good common sense, and she started to grow more confident in herself. In her memory, in her knowledge, and not in a detestable, "I know everything" way. Even though she was a bit more confident, she was still pretty self-deprecating. Cat appreciated her modesty and her humbleness, seeing she is a hard-worker.

 _She was typing furiously, trying to bring the issue to the finish line. She heard a swift knock on the glass door._

 _"_ _Miss Grant?" Kara's even swifter voice uttered. Her voice became one she could recognize anywhere. She heard it every day. Moreover, it became the one she heard the most._

 _She looked up from the article she was going through._

 _"_ _I went down to James's office to bring you the final cover and inside photos, but they weren't ready yet."_

 _They weren't running late this time, but they were close to. "He's not ready yet? He's always the one to finish first, before the deadline." Her voice grew to slightly a dismayed one._

 _"_ _He said he had a personal matter, but he would be done by tonight. Also, I went down to the reporters' room because I heard they had some kind of a problem with an article about Supergirl and I helped them out on that," she said, somewhat anxiously._

 _"_ _Why are you telling me all of these?" she asked before having time to process what she actually told her._

 _"_ _You said to run everything I do past you, and I thought well you didn't need to know when I go to bathroom, but you do need to know if I interact with the editorial department, as it's one of the most important ones."_

 _Cat had too much new information crowding her head. First off she had done things in advance, without Cat having to ask her? Second, she helped the editorial crew? As far as she knew, those people didn't really like the interference of other people, especially assistants. And thirdly… Supergirl? Kara Danvers knew Supergirl?_

 _She didn't know whether she should be infuriated because Kara didn't wait for her requests or because she helped out the editorial crew or because she didn't tell her she knew National City's hero._

 _Truthfully, she was impressed; truly impressed this time. Kara started doing things in advance. She helped where there was a problem. She was evolving._

 _Seeing she didn't say anything, just staring in the wall and thinking, Kara said, "Miss Grant, I'm sorry if I crossed a line, I didn't mean to. I… I was just trying to help out. I thought that by doing my tasks ahead, you wouldn't have to tell me to go; I could just have them ready when you needed them. I thought we could save some time," she said._

 _"_ _Then why do you sound insecure?" Cat shot back._

 _Kara furrowed her brow, saying, "I'm not insecure, I'm… I wasn't sure what you would say. And noting you didn't say anything, I thought I did something really bad."_

 _"_ _You did something really good, Kiera. And you're right, we saved time this way. Now, why didn't you tell me you personally knew Supergirl?"_

 _"_ _I… I didn't tell you I knew Supergirl," Kara said, starting to tense._

 _"_ _And then how did you help out the writers?"_

 _Kara didn't say anything; she was searching for the right words. But in her case, there were no right words._

 _"_ _So unless you know her or you…_ are _her, how else would you know details of her battle?" Cat was sneaky and provocative, knowing this was hard on Kara._

 _"_ _No, I'm not, but… yes, I know her. We're close."_

 _"_ _Hmm, interesting. Good to know," she concluded and before saying anything else, she glanced at Kara's knuckles. They were bruised; red, showing they're recent. Pushing her suspicions away, she continued. "I'm just reading the article you helped on and the details are pretty… specific. You did help a lot; it's an input on the work that we haven't met in a while."_

 _"_ _Well, I'm just trying to help however I can," Kara said._

 _"_ _Well Kiera, you've earned your gold star for the day. Keep up the good work. And hand me the layouts when you get them. But you already know that, don't you?"_

 _She looked at her from above her glasses and gave her signature small closed-lip smile. Kara grinned back and said, "Thank you" before leaving her office._

Cat also noticed how sometimes, when she would do something good, respectable and dignified, she would feel proud, and the confidence would prevail. Yet when Cat would say something faulty about some little detail of her job being done, she would feel inadequate again. The insecurity sometimes took her over. She was stuck between feeling just confident or just insecure because she was the type to always want to do everything right. Better than right, she wanted to do them at their best. She had set high expectations for herself and she couldn't always meet them. Even though, most of the times she did, and Cat alone esteemed it, without showing.

The days, the weeks passed and soon Kara would be celebrating two months of her job at CatCO. She was really happy to have that job. Cat watched her work eagerly, inquisitively. She always walked out the elevator only to find Kara already leaning over her desk, typing at her computer or writing something. Her coffee was at ready every morning and Kara had stopped getting lost. She was starting to get used to Kara as her assistant, to Kara being there every day. She started to get used to it and started to _like_ it.

"Kiera," Cat called loudly from her office on the day that Kara celebrated her two-month job. She wasn't exactly celebrating it, with a proper party and all; she just liked to remember that fact. As soon as she stepped inside the glass box of an office, Cat continued. "Do you know what date will be two weeks from now?"

Kara furrowed her brow, thinking. "Uhm… the 1st June?"

"Right, and what does that date represent?"

Kara was thinking harder now. "Come on, weren't you supposed to be a huge fan of this magazine?" Cat said as she stood up and walked towards her liquor tray.

Kara's face suddenly lit up. "Oh! The day CatCO was inaugurated, right?"

"Bingo, Danvers!" Cat turned around and smiled at her shortly. "You know what I was thinking we need?"

"Not exactly," she answered.

"Supergirl," she said gloriously. "No other magazine has had an exclusive so far, and she's been around for a fair 5 months now. You said you're her close friend, can you arrange for a meeting?"

Kara was somewhat perplexed. She didn't say anything until Cat raised her full-of-sass brow at her and asked, "Well? It's a yes or no, Kiera. Well, actually, it better be a yes."

Kara nodded hesitantly, "I'll talk to her."

"You convince her and I'll take her interview. I'll write the piece," Cat said and it sounded like Kara didn't have much of a choice.

Sure enough, Kara didn't like losing time either. At the end of the day, after most people left, and after Kara left too, Cat sat out on her balcony, a drink in her hand. She liked to relax at the end of the day. She wasn't an alcoholic; she had an occasional drink. A small one every night wouldn't hurt, would it?

She was looking over the city, at all the shining lights and the load of cars at this hour. Shortly after going out for fresh air, she heard a gentle sound behind her, of legs touching the ground.

"Good evening, Miss Grant," Supergirl said in a strong, bold voice.

Cat turned around only to see the tall, blond haired hero. Her suit seemed even better than on TV. Her cape, skirt and boots were of an intense red and her S shined in the balcony's lights having the dark blue as a background. She was a bit taken away by the sight in front of her, the tough, flourishing woman in front of her. Her face, her determined, hale position screamed bravery.

She tried to not make it so obvious that she admired her, so she moved straight to the subject. "So, Supergirl, how does it feel being the big hero people look up to and admire?"

"Well, Miss Grant, I think you should know best," she told her, smiling.

She laughed a bit, but continued, "Right, but you save people. You're strong and fearless. You defeat monsters. The admiration we receive is different. I would like to know how _you_ feel about it."

"Well, at first, it was a bit overwhelming. People I didn't know came up to me to thank me, to say how grateful they are that I chose to protect them and for me it's just simply… it feels like… like that's my place in the world. To save people and make them feel safe in their home and on the streets. If I would know I have these powers and didn't do anything with them, I'd not only feel like I'm wasting time, but like I'm lying to people, like I'm turning my back on them when they would need me most. I would hate to feel like that, to have that weight on my shoulders. I couldn't stay around all day and do nothing while they were in sheer danger."

Cat nodded and let her continue. She could see on her face she wanted to say more, she wanted to keep on talking about this thing she loves doing so much. It's cheesy to say so, but it's her calling.

"And when I'm up there, when I'm just flying, it feels so good to just empty your mind and… fly. That's one of my favorite things to do, always has been. I feel so free and liberated."

"What do you feel when you save people?" Cat asked next.

"Oh, that's also fantastic. To see their relieved faces once you've pulled them out of fires or drowning planes and cars; to hear and see them be so happy to see _you_. It unites you with them. You save them from death, basically, so besides courageous, it just makes you feel hopeful, because I've learnt a while ago that not even in the darkest situation, in the darkest days, hope isn't lost. We just have to hold on to what we have, and know that better times will come."

Cat smiled. "Thank you, Supergirl."


	3. Dressed to charm

On the way home all Cat could think of was how Kara managed to live two lives. How she managed to be great at her job, how she managed to save a city and how she managed to hide it and live like she's just another human being on this planet. Except she wasn't a human being.

The first thing that struck her when she looked at Supergirl was just how much she looked like Kara. And then she started talking, and from the way her hands were gesturing, how her eyes were glowing when she was talking about the thing she loves doing most, it was clear she was Kara. She spoke with the same passion the first day she arrived in her office. The resemblance was inevitable to spot and besides… she would now recognize her no matter what she was wearing or who she posed to be.

So all throughout the night she didn't get much sleep. She couldn't fall asleep because she was thinking about the interview, about all the great things Supergirl had told her, how she could make this issue one of biggest, if not the biggest they've ever released. Although that Obama one had been genuinely huge as well.

She woke early, did her hair and make-up quickly and rushed in to work. Carter was at his father, so she didn't have to worry about him for the moment. She would call him later, of course, as she always did, but now she had the article in her head; she's been thinking all night over it and she had a draft in her mind.

When she arrived in there was no one there besides the cleaning people. Yet when her elevator doors opened, she saw her there, already working. It was two hours before program.

"Kiera," Cat said as she approached her in a moderately calm voice. Before entering the building she was starting to feel a bit of pressure building up. She wanted to release the article at its best. Still, now that she was standing in front of Kara, hours before her even _having_ to be here, the pressure somehow vanished. This girl had such a calming presence. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Oh, well time is running and we have to get ready for the issue. It's a big one," Kara said standing up, clear excitement in her voice. "I'm sorry I don't have your latte yet, I'll go now, I'll be back quickly," she said somewhat nervously.

"Don't worry about it; you couldn't have known I'll be here so early."

"May I ask why?" Kara asked.

"I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about the Supergirl article and how to make it grand," she said, sighing audibly.

"Oh, right, how did that go?" Kara asked and she looked as if she had totally forgotten about it. She knew how to hide it, Cat thought. _Must have some experience already._

"Really well, she was great. She said so much more than I would've expected. She did a great job," Cat replied and had some kind of a subliminal look, but without sending any red flags to Kara.

"Well, that's awesome then," Kara said and smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Grant, I'm sure you'll write exceptional article."

Cat smiled as well, but didn't say anything. They just looked in each other's eyes for a couple of moments.

"And for that you need your latte! I'll be right back," Kara said as she hurried off to the elevator.

Before realizing what she was doing, she was still smiling as she watched Kara until she couldn't see her anymore.

But then she came back to reality. _You can't do that_ , she told herself. _Don't do that._

Frowning, she made her way to the big desk, opened her laptop and started drafting the article. Time was truly flying as she was diving into writing more and more, so she didn't know how much Kara took to bring her the coffee. But she was almost done with writing before she noticed her latte was on the table, in front of her, untouched.

It wasn't hot anymore, but it was still warm. She glanced up and Kara was at her desk, talking on the phone and writing down stuff. In what kind of a trance was she that she didn't even notice Kara bringing her coffee? Well either way, the article was almost finished. She just needed to go over it a few more times. One of her favorite things that Supergirl said was bolded in the middle, and that was " _I've learnt a while ago that not even in the darkest situation, in the darkest days, hope isn't lost."_

She stood up and went over to Kara's office. For the first time, it's like she wanted to go there talk to her, not to shout her name, calling her in. Besides, she had to move a little, she felt like she has been sitting for too long.

"I've sent you an e-mail with the article," she said as soon as she reached her assistant's desk. "Take it to editorial please."

"Of course," Kara said and soon enough printed the writing. Hesitantly, she asked, "May I read it?"

Cat smiled, saying in a playful tone, "Can't wait, can you? Sure you can."

Kara giggled. "You were pretty into it when I arrived with your latte. You were typing quite fast and it seemed like you shouldn't be distracted, so I just placed it there, I hope you don't mind I didn't tell you. Also, a couple of people came by, wanting to talk to you, but I told them you were doing something rather important, so they will come back later."

 _This girl_ , Cat thought. _What did I do to have her come my way?_

Like everyone could've guessed, the issue received so much attention and praise, even more than Cat would've imagined. As a celebratory gesture, they organized a party. The planning took a few days, but it was all people in the hall were talking about, like they were attending a Hogwarts ball.

The evening before the event Kara said it herself. "It's like we're all attending the Yule Ball from Hogwarts."

Cat looked at her almost mockingly, amused nevertheless.

"What? 'Goblet of Fire' was my favorite book from the entire series," Kara said defensively.

"Right, well then, dress nice, Hermione, cause this just might be a little more important that the Champions' Dance," Cat continued.

"So you did read them!" Kara's tone sounded a tad bit too childish.

"Of course I did," Cat said matter-of-factly. "Now, head home, it's already late and tomorrow is a big day, Miss Granger," she added, still amused by the references.

Kara laughed and said her goodbyes. As she was leaving and Cat was packing her stuff, she wondered just how… _familiar_ she can get to feel with Kara. Sure, there was the boss-employee line but there was no line to say they couldn't joke around for a change. And sure, she was Cat Grant, cold and bitchy, but she really thought she was starting to change. She was getting something she'd been longing for; human connection. She realized just how important it was.

The next day at work was not as stressing and crowded as usual, as people were still talking about the party, now sounding like some excited teenagers about to attend a sorority party. Everybody seemed to tense down a bit.

The hours flew by, and soon enough it was time for everyone to go home and get ready for the event. Cat had picked out a simple, purple dress that she would match with four-inch black heels.

She arrived in a reasonable time, people already talking to each other and sipping from drinks. She spotted some people of interest so she headed over to talk to them. Something was bugging her though, and she didn't pay much attention to what the men in suits were saying. Then she realized she hadn't seen her assistant yet. Her punctual, prompt assistant wasn't there. She would have surely seen her already.

She tried focusing on what the men in black were talking about, but it was all business. She was talking business almost 24/7; she needed something different, at least now.

Then, with the corner of her eye, she saw someone dressed in white and as she glanced in that direction, she saw her. There she was, just like Hermione. She would've never recognized her dressed like this if she hadn't seen her every day now. Her breath hitched for a second, stunned by Kara. She was talking to Winn, her golden locks falling over her shoulders. Her dress, backless and tight, reached her mid-thighs, hugging her body just perfectly.

"Cat?" the man she was supposed to be talking to called her. "Did you hear what we told you?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," she said, not taking her eyes off Kara and not paying much attention to the businessman.

The closer she was getting, the more anxious she started to feel, for some weird reason. She seemed to be getting more and more nervous these days.

"Kiera," Cat said, managing her straight-forward tone.

"Catch up later, okay?" Winn said and Kara nodded.

As he left, Kara turned her attention to Cat and she felt shivers run down her back. She looked at her, her eyes travelling from head to toe. Her white heels made her even taller.

 _Stop_.

"Did you resolve the printer issue?" she asked.

"Yes, they said it would take a couple of days," Kara answered.

Cat nodded and felt like she didn't exactly have what else to talk about with Kara, so she considered leaving before making it awkward.

But before she did, Kara started talking. "Miss Grant, I wanted to congratulate you for the… for the article," she said. "I really think you managed to capture her true words and her personality. I mean I knew you would've done it, so I'm just… you know… I really loved the article. You shouldn't have been nervous in the first place, it came out really well," she said but she noticed she was talking too much already, so she stopped, releasing a breath. "Thank you for writing the article. I believe no one else could've done it better."

She gave her closed-lip smile, but didn't quite know what to say. Instead, she continued with their joke. She wasn't getting tired of it. "You know, at times you're more like Ron then Hermione. You tend to speak incoherently sometimes," she said and they both laughed. "Hermione never really did that."

"Yeah, I know, I should control it," Kara admitted.

Cat stopped before saying anything because the first thing that came to her mind was "It's cute" and she would most definitely not say that.

"Well, go and enjoy the ball," Cat said, starting to distance herself from Kara slowly.

She'd be lying if she said Kara smile didn't drop slightly when Cat said those last words, but she really tried not to notice.

She spent the rest of the night talking to CEOs and heads of departments and of other companies, but none of them were as engaging and liberating as Kara. A few men invited her to dance, and glancing around them, she noticed both Winn and James taking their turns to dance with Kara. She was laughing, keeping up her Sunny Danvers face. She really was stunning.

When she finally lay in bed that night, she ran the party in her head again, thinking, hoping it had been a success. Then she thought of Kara, of her angelic look and how actually beautiful she was. She could continue thinking about her, but… she couldn't. She _shouldn't_. She really should not go there.

It wasn't necessarily the age line, not that she ever cared about the age if they were both feeling something, it was the boss-employee thing for starters. Sure, they could joke around and laugh, but in the end they relationship could most definitely not alter or get in the way of their work. Cat could never allow that.

And then… Kara was surely not into her. She couldn't have been. She would be really surprised if that was the case. But she put all these thoughts aside.

She hadn't slept much the last days; but it was Friday night. Two workless days ahead of her.

Two days without seeing Kara.


	4. Crying is human

She spent the weekend at home, with Carter, enjoying her son's presence. It was tough not having him there all the time. She's definitely learnt a couple of things with Adam, so she fought harder through this divorce. She wanted to do better justice for Carter, for herself. She didn't want him to learn to grow up without his true mother figure. It pained her to let Adam go, more than she could've ever imagined and now she definitely knew she should never have let go.

Yearly cards for his birthday and Christmas to Adam just seemed so cliché, so fake. It didn't represent anything real to Cat, it didn't mean anything anymore. When she would think about it a lot, she would almost come to the point where she would think she completely lost Adam.

So now she was fighting with Carter's father for more time with her. Carter, now at the grown age of 12, realized himself how nice it felt to be with his mother for a change. They always had fun together, he would tell her, and they never failed to tell each other anything. They were truly close.

And Cat was so thankful to the gods or to whoever was up there, because she loved him with all her heart. And she would not let him slip away from her.

They used to watch movies, play board games –scores were always tight- and go out to eat and have walks. Every few months or so, when Carter was on vacation, she would take a few days off and they would go travel somewhere, just the two of them. They had so many memories and Carter reassured her every time they would make more.

When she was with him, she tended to forget about her problems. This weekend for example, she had forgotten about Kara or whatever it was that made her notice her more and more.

And yet when Monday came and she was forced to stay late at work to finish some reports, faith would have it that so would Kara. Apparently, the stack of papers on desk needed finishing by next Friday.

Again, they were the only ones left, on their floor at least. She never knew how it happened, that only they were left. As she finished one of the many reports that were yet to come, she stepped out on her balcony. It was, without a doubt, one of her favorite places.

Soon enough Kara made her presence known. "Miss Grant?"

Cat turned slightly, her eyes still focused on the glowing city. "Yes?"

"I need you to sign this," she said, extending her a file.

"What's this?"

"It's my contract. It says it's available for two months."

"Right," Cat said and signed it without needing time to think. She modified the assistants' contracts because she would decide if she liked them or not, if they were helpful or not in a matter of two months. "By the way," she said, as she looked back to the first paper in her file, the one with her personal information, "I've been meaning to ask, if it's not a problem. You don't have to answer."

"Sure," she said.

"Next to your parents' names, there's their… death dates," she said, reluctantly. "May I ask what happened?"

Kara looked down, sitting down on the arm of one of Cat's big balcony armchairs. She bit her lower lip ever so slightly. She started talking, without looking at Cat. "They… they died when I was 13; in a fire."

Cat let out a silent breath, having no words to follow Kara's except for a faint 'Oh'.

"I don't remember what or how it happened and I never really wanted to find out, so they never told me. I can remember being there, at their funeral, but I was still confused." Kara's voice was quivering slightly, but she managed to contain any tears that would drop.

Cat found her voice. Silently, barely audible, she said, "I'm sorry."

Kara's mouth formed a little smile, but not her usual, happy kind; a sad smile. Cat realized this one didn't suit her. "No, nonsense, don't be. I can… I can actually remember them. My mother, she… she was really kind and understanding. She never failed to make me smile; whenever I was down she and my father would come and sit next to me, not letting me go until I was laughing, sincerely laughing." Her sad smile remained as she remembered what she said. "We were really close. I never hid anything from them. So then it was really strange; they suddenly left, and they would never come back." She paused for a minute. Cat didn't say anything yet.

"But, you know, everything they've told me is still with me. I remember particularly a few things; I think I'll never forget those."

Then she looked back up at Cat, who, surprisingly, had tears gathered in her eyes, still keeping her look on Kara. "I miss them, but I've grown up learning that they can still hear me, they can see me and that's comforting. Even if it's not real or whatever, it's nice… to think that way."

The few tears she had rolled down on her cheeks, but Cat quickly wiped them away. She rarely cried, and never in front of anyone. That was a basic rule for her; she would think she seems weak or pathetic. But now she realized that was stupid of her to think. Tears aren't supposed to show you're weak, they mean that you simply care and that you have feelings. We don't have to be robots.

More importantly, Cat didn't look at Kara with pity, or mercy; she admired her. Despite growing up without any parental models, she became this polite, kind and admirable person. Many steered away from the good path. She was afraid that would happen to Adam. Luckily, his father still had some decency to teach him well.

"Well, I don't really know what to tell you, other than the fact that you've become a truly good and estimable person. You are worthwhile," she told her, remembering what Kara said on their first meeting.

Kara smiled and let out a small laugh. "Thank you, Miss Grant."

"No, thank you for telling me; for opening up to me that way," she said honestly.

Cat handed back her file, and as Kara made her way back, Cat spoke up again. "You know, I may seem cold and detached and emotionless, but I'm not. If you ever need to talk, I can listen."

Kara smiled, and nodding, she left the balcony.

Cat turned back to facing the city, losing herself in all the bright lights. She never seemed to get tired of it. She enjoyed just standing there, thinking and cooling in the evening air. It started being really hot in daytime, so evenings and nights were really pleasant.

And Kara… oh, Kara... _Why her?_

 _Why exactly the girl I can't have?_


	5. Human shield

Couple of weeks passed since the two talked about Kara's past on the balcony and not much has changed between them, other than the fact that Cat felt closer to Kara; but she tried not to show it. She didn't want to get dangerously close to her.

One evening when again everybody was leaving work, the lights started flickering. Cat's several TVs started working funny; they kept showing black and white lines, as if they all suddenly had gone faulty.

"Kiera?" Cat called from her office.

"Yeah, I'm on it," she said, heading down to the electrical department.

But before she arrived there, the broken TVs suddenly started working again, and they all featured a light blue-haired woman with black eyes and a wicked grin.

"Good evening, CatCO!" Her voice was simply amused and mocking.

Cat turned to her many screens. "Oh, Leslie! What a pleasure to see you. You've gone full-evil now?"

"Oh, _Cat_ , I always had it in me. You just brought it to surface."

"I'm glad we can see your true self, then," Cat said unafraid she might piss of the villain.

Without warning, Leslie transfigured in the middle of Cat's office. Now they were both face to face.

"I must say I've always liked your office, Cat; very classy and fancy. Like you," Leslie said without losing her repelling grin.

"Well, Leslie, what's bringing you around?" Cat asked, starting to get annoyed. She has dealt with so many unsatisfied fired employees before, she was getting tired of that revenge they all seek.

"You know, my name is Livewire now," she told her. "Interested why?"

"Not exactly," Cat shot back.

Leslie –or Livewire, whichever- looked at her somehow perplexed, but hostile. She shot a wave of electricity out of her hand, in Cat's direction, but missing her on purpose.

Cat twitched slightly, but she remained just as loathing towards Livewire.

"Impressed yet?" the villain asked, feeling empowered.

"Barely," Cat said fearlessly. "You kind of missed me there, Lightning bolt."

Livewire's eyes suddenly turned unamused and angry. "My name is _Livewire_!" she said and shot another ray of deadly electricity but it didn't hit Cat. By the time that electricity would be affecting someone, Supergirl landed in front of Cat, shielding her.

"Well, hello there, Supergirl," Livewire said happily. "Nice of you to join."

"Get out of here," she told Cat before landing a quick punch on Livewire.

Cat didn't hesitate. She ran off towards her private elevator. The few people who were left there before Livewire's marvelous comeback were also gone. She heard behind her punches and electricity waves hitting God knows what, but before getting a decent look the elevator doors closed.

The ride wouldn't take long and she realized mid-way she did the worst choice by taking the electricity-run elevator. Livewire stopped it, leaving Cat blocked in there. She didn't think about it until now, but now she understood she was claustrophobic. As the walls started to draw nearer, the air was getting thinner and her vision blurrier, out of focus.

She knew she didn't have long until her conscience would be lost, and she would pass out right then and there. She's experienced fainting before.

But Supergirl wouldn't let it happen. Before letting everything turn black, Cat heard one loud noise and a flash of light coming in from above her.

"You're safe now, Miss Grant," the truly fearless voice said as she looked up to her. Looking straight into her eyes, Cat found stability in them. She's found assurance in Kara's eyes.

By the time Supergirl rescued her from the elevator, Livewire was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she?" Cat asked.

"I've taken care of her," Supergirl said as she nodded towards a knocked out Livewire on the floor. "Sorry it took so long to get to you, I had to take care of her."

"You didn't take long; I think," Cat said as she travelled throughout her office, to the liquor tray.

"I have to tie her up until help comes along," Supergirl said. She picked her up without any difficulty and tied her tightly to a chair. "I've taken care of that as well. Help should be arriving soon."

Cat didn't even begin to ask who _they_ were; she didn't need any more complications for the night. "They all turn bad at one point," she said, referring to her ex-employees. "Come out there for a second, I doubt she'll wake up any time soon," she said, nodding towards her balcony.

Cat sat down, but Supergirl kept pacing up and down the balcony, checking whether the team was there to pick Livewire up, or if she started getting to her senses. But she knocked her out pretty well.

"Thank you, Supergirl, for saving me," Cat said, looking up at the superhero.

She smiled at her, replying, "I couldn't have let you go, now could I? The city would've lost its biggest asset."

Cat laughed and took another sip of her drink. It burned all the way down her throat, exactly what she needed.

Feeling inquisitive and somehow provocative again, she asked her, "What's your story, Supergirl? We now know why you do what you do. But… we don't know _you_."

"Well, I can't blow my cover now, can I?" They both laughed but Cat didn't quit.

"Okay, then _I_ don't know you."

Supergirl seemed to be hesitating, and for good reason, Cat thought. Heroes really couldn't just uncover where they were form, who they truly were.

"Off the record, Supergirl, I promise," Cat said, her voice softening.

After some thinking, the hero nodded in denial. "I really can't."

"Figures," Cat said.

Filling the silence that followed, Supergirl asked, "Why do they always come back and want to 'destroy' you?"

"Well, she's the first one to actually show up and try to kill me. The others stuck to the simple threats and their menacing attitudes which were oh-so-scary; but they never actually came to confront me; as if I've ruined their lives by firing them."

"Maybe some of them actually lost things," Supergirl said, expecting Cat to throw her a piercing look or stare, but instead she kept her eyes on the city.

"Maybe," she said, "but I did it for the good on the company. It may sound selfish or whatever, but to me, it matters what we do here. The people who read it matter to me."

She decided to not go into it more because Kara knew what she was talking about. In fact, when she looked up at her, she could still see a trace of guilt in her eyes, on her face, most likely having memories brought back of when Cat scolded her. But Supergirl concealed it quickly.

"That's what makes you such a good example, then," the blonde hero said. "You protect it like your baby. No matter who gets in your way, whoever might hurt it, you replace them, for its good."

"Exactly," Cat admitted.

Soon enough whoever Supergirl called came and they took Livewire away, reassuring her she'll be locked away, away from hurting anybody.

Once everybody left, Cat looked around her office, noticing the damage that's been done. It wasn't horrific, but tomorrow's day needed to be reserved for reparations. Cat called the reliable construction company, letting them know of what needed changing and repairing.

So the next day the floor itself was reserved for fixing and the staff was allowed to take a day off, with the promise that they would catch up the next day. Cat planned to take the day off and spend it with Carter, but a last minute meeting about last night's incident occurred and now Carter was without anyone to watch over him.

She'd tried her mother, knowing form the start it'd be unsuccessful. It's like that woman really didn't want anything to do with her family.

The sitter was having a free day; Cat let her take the day out, as her original plans were. She couldn't call her now to change it last minute.

And… that's it; there was no one else she'd trust. Really, there _was_ no one else at all.

"Miss Grant? I could… I could take care of Carter," Kara offered.

"On your free day, Kiera, you'd rather take care of a 12-year-old instead of doing literally anything else?" Cat asked, rather suspicious.

"Are you kidding? I love spending time with kids," Kara said excitedly.

Cat measured her for a second, "Do you, really?"

"Really," Kara said, a bit puzzled. "Miss Grant, I just suggested it; you don't have to do it if you're uncomfortable with the idea."

Cat thought about it more, saying at last, "You have to pick him up from school. Take him to have lunch; he likes any type of food, just don't take him to fast food; we only do that once a month and we've been there already. I'll need you to watch him until about 4 pm; you can go to the mall, in libraries, he'll stay there for hours if he has to. It's one of his favorite places."

Kara smiled and said, "Mine too. We'll get along just right then."

Still slightly hesitant, Cat called Carter to let him know. He sounded a bit disappointed he wouldn't spend time with his mom, but happy nevertheless to meet with Kara. He liked meeting new people, especially when they had the same interests as him.

"Kiera," Cat started as Kara was packing up her things, "don't let him out of your sight. No matter where you are, what you do and how much you love it, he's still my-"

"I know, Miss Grant, I know," Kara said in a low, soothing voice. "I will take care of him; trust me."

Cat breathed out, keeping her eyes on Kara's which were calming her down considerably. "Call me if you have any problems or questions."

"Of course," Kara smiled and headed off to pick him up.

Cat's heart was still racing; she trusted Kara with all her information and all, but Carter was a different level. Letting her take care of him was a big step in their relationship, because she was still her assistant after all. And yet, she _was_ Supergirl. She knew that if danger were to occur, she wouldn't hesitate to protect him.

Once she's managed to put all her worries aside, she headed out to attend the last minute meeting which completely interfered with her day. The several men in suits asked her a bunch of questions, and at one point she started to get irritated.

"But why do you think she wanted to attack you?" one of them asked.

"How would I know, Carl? She was upset I fired her and she's been planning her attack for a while and she decided yesterday would be a perfect time, I don't know what's going on in their heads and it's not my business anymore," Cat said bluntly. "I've said this a hundred times: I fire them once I decide they're no longer a help in developing my company. I can't have them stand in my way of maintaining this magazine at the level that it is. It's my job to make sure we're just as trusted as we've ever been."

"Look, Cat," said another man, "just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're bad for the company. It means they just don't do things the way you do. Not everybody thinks the way you do."

Cat now went from irritated all the way to infuriated. She shot him a dangerously mad look. She knew her tone would keep rising all throughout her speech; the anger would keep on growing, so she just let it out. "I've been in this business, in _this_ _company's business_ , longer than any of you have and I think I might have an instinct formed and a guess to know where people go wrong and where they don't. And when they _do_ go wrong it's _also_ my job to make sure they won't do it _again_! I've build this corporation, I've lost more than any of you could ever imagine and I never gave up. And I won't give up now; not after I've learnt that my ways actually _work_! Unlike you people, I actually give; I don't just sit around and watch other contribute. You should learn, _gentlemen_."

Some of them seemed shocked, some of them purely unimpressed. But all of them seemed to admit the truth; which is what Cat just said.

"I think we might need to bring on more security," another man said, who appeared to agree with everything Cat told them.

"Security isn't what we need," she said, her tone lower now, but just as critical. "Whether I keep on firing people or not, they will keep on coming back; or at least some will, until they find their peace."

"Well, just don't let them get to you," the same man as before said.

"Oh, darling, I've learned a while ago that haters are just people who are hurt and they just need someone to pour their words onto. They'll pick the closest one, the easiest target and it'll always be this way."

As she got up, she said, "Don't forget I'm not the enemy here, gentlemen."

Heading back to her office, she noticed the workers had replaced the few TVs that were broken and the shattered glass and now they were working on her private elevator. She settled back in her chair and opened her laptop to do some work; to let some steam off.

Some people really wanted to deny that she actually knew what she was doing. She wasn't running this company because she didn't have anything else to do; she ran it because she knew how to do it. When she decided she wanted to create an empire, she knew there were going to be difficulties and bumps in the road but hell, those are called sacrifices and if you aren't willing to make them, you won't get far.

She thought that way since she was young. If you aren't up to take though decisions, that's your problem but don't stand in other people's ways.

She thought of how all those men approached the subject and what they told her, and then of what Supergirl had told her. She knew the hero made her share of sacrifices. She knew she would lose her ability to be herself every day. She needed to hide her true identity in order to do what she wanted to, what she was needed for.

She glanced at the clock; it was almost 4. She got ready to leave, while calling Kara.

"Hello?" Kara answered, sounding really happy, but soon enough Cat realized she was laughing. She also heard Carter's voice and laugh in the back.

"Kiera? Where are you?"

"We're in the park across your building. We thought we'd go up when you'd finished work. Carter wanted to," she said, and Cat could still hear she was giggling.

"Well, I finished, but I'll come down."

She wondered what on Earth were they laughing about; it sure sounded good. Kara sounded so pleasant when she would laugh, let alone look gorgeous.

 _Wait, what was that?_ Cat thought _._

"Nothing," she told herself in a quiet voice as she made her way to the staff's elevator. However, she still smiled at the thought of Kara laughing.

Once she exited her building, her crossed the street to the park and she saw them, sitting on a bench, laughing their heads off.

She approached them rather slowly, trying to listen what they were laughing about. By the time she was almost there, they still didn't notice her.

"Okay, I've been wrecking my brains trying to find out what was so funny, and I still don't know," she said once she was in front of them.

"Mom!" Carter exclaimed as he jumped to huge her. Her heart melted; she'd missed him a lot.

As Carter sat back down in the middle, he said, "It's an inside joke of ours."

He glanced at Kara and they laughed again.

"Inside joke? You already have inside jokes?" Cat said as she smiled.

"Mom, Kara is very funny, did you know that?"

"She doesn't often tell me jokes," Cat said, looking at her assistant, raising her eyebrows. "Why is that?"

Kara blushed, laughing awkwardly, not knowing what to reply, but Cat stepped in. "So how was it?"

"It was awesome! We ate -healthy things, relax mom- then we headed over to the library where we hanged around for a couple hours and they almost kicked us out because we laughed too much. We walked to this park and we got ice creams. Kara is a really, really nice person, mom. She took really good care of me."

"Well, to be fair, Carter is a very quiet and kind boy. I mean, quiet despite the fact that you couldn't contain your laugh in the library and you might've pissed off some people over there, but otherwise… he's the ideal son, Miss Grant."

"He is, isn't he?" Cat said as she ran her hand through his brown, curly hair. "Ready to head home?"

Both Kara and Carter seemed rather disappointed, but Cat added, "Oh, I'm sure you two will have more chances to hang out."

On their way home all Carter talked about what just how great Kara was.

"You're really lucky to have her as your assistant, mom, she's a keeper," he said, looking out the window. "Is she this good at work too?" Carter suddenly asked, turning his head to look at his mother.

"Yes, she's very organized and hard-working. She's very good at her job, as she apparently is with kids," she said. "Do you like her?"

"Yes, a lot!" he said openly. "We should hang out with her more."

He said it like it was that easy.

After spending the afternoon with her son, they went to sleep quite happily, she could say. They laughed and played their games, talking about so many things, including Kara.

When she went to bed, she replayed what Carter had told her about Kara.

 _You're really lucky to have her… she's a keeper._

She was a keeper.

 _Shit_ , Cat simply thought.


	6. Your eyes speak for themselves

Over the weekend Cat followed the news, every channel reporting Supergirl's fight with a new villain, someone strong, evil and revengeful. _The usual_ , Cat thought. Except this guy really was stronger and bigger than usual and it was making her a bit worried. The fight had been going on for a couple of hours already and none of them seemed to slow down.

She and Carter were basically glued to the TV. They didn't know who the hell was recording this footage, how it got to national broadcasting, but Cat was surely grateful. She didn't lose the hero out of her sight, following her every move and feeling every punch she received.

Several minutes past, and she was panting hard now, visibly tired and power-drenched but she still kept going admirably. As she thought these words, the monstrosity punched her hard in her stomach and she fell to the ground, seemingly powerless.

And yet, as the villain was approaching her slowly, ready to give the final punch, Supergirl shot X-rays from her eyes, hitting him right in his chest, knocking him down, leaving him unconscious.

Soon enough the broadcast was over and she knew Supergirl –Kara- was now safe, but she still remained concerned about her. She must have had extensive wounds; that fight took really long. She wondered whether she should call her or not, but thought better of it finally; she was definitely being taken care of, she was safe. Besides, how was she going to explain her call?

Carter brought her back to reality. "That was awesome! That's why she's my favorite hero," he said proudly.

"She really brought him down, didn't she?" Cat said, still a bit numb.

"It's not just that, she did it when she must've been weakened already, I've never seen someone fight for so long."

He spoke with such admiration that Cat really started feeling it too.

Next morning she got out of bed and the first thing she felt was dread. Dread of going in to work, of seeing Kara, of fighting whatever it was she was feeling. She wouldn't exactly expect for Kara to be at work next day, she could understand. In some way she didn't really want it, either.

And still, when she walked out of her fixed elevator, she was in her chair, working already.

"Good morning, Kiera," she said, posing herself in front of Kara.

"Good morning, Miss Grant," she returned her greeting, with a smile. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good, thank you," she said, a bit suspiciously. "How are you?"

"I'm great, better than ever," she said and laughed, but she winced, ever so slightly, touching her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Cat said, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, perfect."

Cat nodded, rather unbelieving, but headed to her desk, taking a sip from her hot latte.

She still managed to do everything, despite that disaster that was yesterday. _It's her life_ , _I guess_. She noticed her knuckles were bruised again, worse than ever, the concealer not managing to fulfill its job.

When time was drawing nearer to lunch, Cat called a short staff meeting in her office to discuss the month's issue.

"So," she started as soon as everyone was present. "Ideas for headlines, articles, columns; anything and everything."

"What about Supergirl's fight? The one from yesterday?" one of the writers started saying. "With what was his name, uhm-"

"Appex," Kara said, sounding mildly irritated.

Everyone looked at Kara for a second, but then Cat spoke up. "I think we should give Supergirl a break. You said it yourself, it was a long fight. We all saw how strong and rather annoying that monster was. I think we should leave her out of the flashlights for a bit."

Kara had a mixture of relief and gratitude in her eyes, a thing which Cat saw and she almost flashed a smile. Instead, she continued. "Try to reach for something else, people. There are other subjects, other people. Start thinking," she said, sending them off to work.

"Miss Grant?" James Olsen said, approaching her with his camera. "I captured a shot of her, in yesterday's fight," he said, showing her the picture.

It was her giving that Appex the final hit, the camera capturing the exact moment the X-ray shot hitting him right in time.

"It's a good picture," Cat said. "It'd be a shame to not use it," she added, biting her lower lip slightly.

"Well, we could use it next month maybe, remind people of it," James tried.

"Yes, but the impact of this battle would've worn off by then," Cat said, frowning. "Well, keep it, then. I said we'd leave her alone, that's what we're doing."

James nodded, saying, "Alright then."

"And congrats, James, that's a really successful picture," Cat said.

James smiled, saying a simple but honest 'Thank you'.

In the evening, fate had it that she and Kara were alone on the floor again. She'd given up thinking how on Earth it was just them left almost every goddamn time.

Kara came into her office, holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Miss Grant, this came in just now. It was a personal delivery," Kara said, handing her the paper that was actually an envelope; a letter.

As she looked at the sender's name, she froze. She had to read it several times to make sure she read it correctly. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Is… everything alright?" Kara's soft voice brought her back.

"Yes, just fine. Thank you," she said. Kara understood the signals, leaving the office just as puzzled as she was when she came in.

Cat opened the letter slowly, still taking it in.

It was handwritten, a cursive, beautiful writing. As she read it, tears gathered in her eyes. If it wasn't Adam, her long-lost son, finally wanting to meet her. He said he'd traveled here on his own, because he was 18 now; he could travel alone.

And he did.

He said he came because he wanted to meet her, to talk and get to know each other. He said it was time; that he was ready now. And Carter too, if she wished so. He was in town for a few days, so she should contact her if they were to meet.

He also wrote that he would very much like to meet her; to meet them both.

His signature lay at the end of the letter.

As she put down the writing, tears rolled down her cheek; they were of relief, of hope and ultimately… of happiness.

"Miss Grant, are you sure you're okay?" Kara's voice came from the glass doors. She looked up to her, wiping her tears.

"I am now, yes." She said as she made her way to the liquor table.

"May I ask who that was from?" she asked, her voice sort of frightened, careful to not pass a line.

"That was my son… my other son," she said as she sat down on her couch. "Come, sit down," she said, gesturing towards the place next to her. She decided she would tell Kara; she had to know at some point. It was unavoidable. But now Cat has learnt she didn't need to avoid it anymore.

Kara looked puzzled again, but she sat down next to her.

"Adam is my first son, from my second marriage. He was born around the time CatCO was rising, when I was struggling to earn the respect and attention this magazine deserved. I had to technically raise two kids; two very different kids. I couldn't do it," she said, with regret in her voice. "I had to give up on one of them. So I chose CatCO." She looked down, embarrassed. She felt Kara's eyes on her, following her every word. "His father took him and left to Opal City when he was two. I quit on Adam, and now it's become my biggest regret. I wasn't there for him in his most important years and I now see what that means. Back then I was really focused on making my dream come true. So now he said he came to National City, wanting to meet me and Carter."

"And will you do it?" Kara asked in a low voice.

"Oh, I will go meet him. I'm not backing out of this, not anymore. I won't make the same mistake again. I've talked to Carter about Adam, he knows he has a bigger brother and he always wanted to meet him. We're going, that's sure. I just… I don't know what to expect," she said, feeling ashamed.

Cat looked in Kara's eyes; they were closer than ever. Her eyes were calming her down yet again; she found that tranquility in them that always made her muscles relax, her heart skip.

"I think you should go and start with the beginning. Ask him what he's doing; what are his hobbies, if he has anything in store for his future. Just try to get to know him. And if everything goes well, he'll be asking you and Carter the same things and you should find things to talk about. Try to not stress, or overthink. It's never good to overanalyze everything. Just try to have a good time, to take the moment in and everything should come naturally after."

"Thank you, I will do just that," she said. "I will take the long-awaited moment in," she said, taking a long sip of her drink.

As she looked back at Kara, she noticed her eyes were on her own lips and she felt an instinct to just lean in and let herself be carried away in the kiss. She now felt that desire more than ever, bigger than ever.

Kara's big, blue eyes fixed back on Cat's. It was like they were asking permission, permission to show her what she was feeling for her. She could see Kara's desire, her urge and she was more than sure that's what her eyes showed as well.

But at the same time, they reflected the fact that they just couldn't; as much as they both wanted it, they couldn't.

They both seemed to know and they both tried to fight the feeling, showing nothing but complete yearning and restraint. They were holding back, no matter how much it was needed or wanted.

Cat so wanted to do it. For a few moments she didn't care what the consequences would be, who would get hurt, what she would lose. It was selfish and needy, but it was sincere at the same time.

But she couldn't. And it was killing her.

She didn't know for how long they'd been staying there, but neither seemed to move. At last, Cat broke the eye contact, knowing one of them had to, even if she'd rather spend hours looking into Kara's eyes and memorize every detail of her face.

She was sure Kara's superhearing would pick up Cat's rapid heartbeats, so she stood up and walked to her desk.

"Miss Grant, I-" Kara started saying, her voice articulating what her eyes showed, but Cat interrupted her.

"Thank you for your advice, Kiera. That'll be all for today, you can go home now," Cat said, sitting down in her chair. She managed to keep her indifferent attitude, when actually she was no more than vulnerable and isolated. Isolated from everything she wanted to have.

Once Kara left the floor, Cat headed out for the balcony, feeling the significant need for fresh air. Luckily, the air was cooling down, as it was already dark outside, almost 10 pm. She stood down on one of her armchairs, feeling absorbed by it. She took her head in her hands, clearly having some things to think about.

She might've let her guard down too much. She let her heart feel too much, and she knew she would get here.

She had gone over this; she told herself she wouldn't get attached, she wouldn't ruin what could possibly turn into a good friendship, especially after Kara stopped working as her assistant.

But no matter how hard she tried pushing down any feelings for Kara, locking whatever sign of admiration or gratitude she felt, she couldn't keep herself shut in her cage she built herself from where she couldn't touch anyone, where all her feelings would turn her into a cold-hearted, withdrawn being.

When Kara first stepped in her office, with her sunny attitude, her contagious smile and shining eyes, that cage she built for herself seemed to grow bigger, to give her more space to breathe. And when she started getting to know Kara, the lock on the cage started getting looser and looser until it would break. And now, after everything that's happened, she was outside the cage, in the cold and cruel world, alone and abandoned.

She was doing just fine inside her cage. She would see her work, her son, the two biggest responsibilities she had. Yes, she'd be restrained from anything good and warm, from anything she'd _truly_ want; but at least she wouldn't get hurt.

And yet whenever her hand would touch Kara's by mistake, or they would laugh together or when she would just glance at her, a new wave of something foreign crashed over her. She's never felt this way before, not for any of her former husbands, not for Adam's or Carter's father.

Kara woke something new in her and she was thrilled, but horrified.

And now it was either make or break. She would either confess, actually _tell_ Kara what she felt, but that was frightening. Or she would step back, put space between them and everything would resolve by itself. And that was also terrifying. It was terrifying to push away every single good thing she felt; it made her feel more robotic and heartless than ever.

So it was make or break.


	7. Dig deeper

The next day when Cat's alarm woke her up, she felt something pressing on her mind, or her heart. For a second, before she came to her senses, she didn't know what it was. But then, thinking back of last night, she remembered. She remembered Kara's eyes, her pink lips, her warming presence; then she remembered how she said she would stop thinking about it.

She was too scared to move forward, to tell her what she felt. So instead, she chose the path which was perhaps the more painful one. She would stay away from Kara. They would interact only if it was work-related. She'd stop looking at her; she'd stop _noticing_ her, thinking about her.

She'd push down and lock away any feelings.

It was definitely going to be harder than she could ever think.

When she arrived at work, she walked past Kara's desk, and without stopping she said, "Kiera, in my office."

She'd repeated what she was going to tell her about a dozen times. Every time she went over her speech, tears started gathering in her eyes, blocking her vision. She knew this wasn't what her heart wanted, but rather what it must know and follow.

Once she settled in her massive chair and Kara was in front of her, looking tired and somewhat miserable, she went soft for a second. She really didn't want to hurt Kara, and by the way she looked at her last night, she would get hurt. She wanted good things for the both of them and now she started doubting her plan. When Kara's saddened eyes were fixed on her, it's like she couldn't say anything anymore. Kara knew what was coming.

But she gathered whatever power she had. "Kiera, I think we should… we should leave this relationship strictly professional." It sounded way harsher than when she thought it. "I think that things have gone out of hand, out of our control. I take the blame, because I let myself… be taken away. I should've focused on the work, and I did. But somewhere along the path I let you in my life in a way I hadn't planned. And I don't think it'd be… safe for either of us to admit what this is really about. It's not your fault, at all; I just don't want you to get hurt in… whatever this could be. I think we should just… focus on our work from now on." Her eyes roamed everywhere around the room but on Kara. And when they did land on her, she felt her heart break; Kara didn't contain her tears, she let them fall on her pale cheeks. All Cat wanted to do was wipe them and tell her she didn't mean all those things, but sadly, she did. Felling she couldn't keep it together anymore, she said, "That… that's all."

Kara didn't say anything; she just nodded and walked out of her office, her boots more audible than ever on the floors, the sound ringing in Cat's ears. She walked out on the balcony, where she finally let out all the tears, where no one would see her and where she could finally put aside all the lies she'd just told Kara. She really didn't want to stay away from her; with time, she realized she _couldn't_. That she needed to see her to feel good; safe. And that was what she feared. That once she was done with this job, Kara would go on with her life and Cat would be left behind, brokenhearted. Well, either way, that's what she was now. And she really started doubting herself; _did I really do the good thing?_

Harder than ever, the day passed and the pain advanced, forcing her to think a lot whether she did the right thing or not. Every time she thought of it, the answer was simple; yes, she did good, because this way she would distance herself form Kara, being able to live without having her by her side all day.

But then… but then as she dug deeper, trying to discover a deeper layer of her problem, she realized that she didn't just have her by her side; she chose her. She chose her talented, dedicated and deserving assistant from a sea of people who obviously didn't deserve to be there. And then she chose her to be the one who she'd share her very personal information with, she chose her to be the one who she'd truly open up to. And all of that _had_ to be for a reason.

She must've felt so open, so inquisitive with her for a reason. She refused to believe otherwise. She didn't really believe in faith or such, or at least she didn't pay enough attention to them, but it really seemed like they met for a reason. It couldn't possibly end there.

 _Strictly professional... That's bullshit._

The problem wasn't that she couldn't possibly live without her; it was that she didn't want to.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by her ringing phone. It was Carter.

"Hi, mom, how are you doing?" he asked with his happy voice.

She really felt comforted to hear her son's voice; it was calming, sort of reassuring.

She did her best to sound like she wasn't breaking inside. "Hey there, buddy. I'm good, and you?"

"I was doing some homework and I was just wondering… you know you told me Adam wrote you… and I wanted to know whether we'd go meet him or not. I… I really want to."

Adam… she had totally forgot about Adam with all the Kara that's been going on.

"Yes, yes, we'll go meet with him. In fact, why don't I call him now and ask him?"

"Yes, that'd be great! Well, you know, call me back," Carter said.

Cat laughed a little and then realized she was supposed to call her son with whom she hasn't talked to in a long, long time. She felt her heartbeat going up like crazy again, and with shaky hands she opened up the letter she had received from him. His phone number lay at the bottom of the page.

As she typed the number in her phone and she called him. She didn't want to wait any longer; she knew it'd be worse if she'd overthink… like Kara said.

"Hello?" Adam's voice was masculine, virile. Cat didn't seem to find hers for a second.

"Adam? This is Cat… Grant," she said, finding that her voice was fairly stable.

"Oh… well, hello Cat," he said and Cat could hear him smile.

"So if you're still interested… or if the invitation still stands…" _This is so stupid, of course it still stands, he came here to meet you for Heaven's sake_. "We'd like to meet you; me and Carter."

"That's great. Then should we meet at… I don't know, Noonan's?"

"Yes, yes, I really like that place. Have you visited National City before?"

"Not until now; but I've had some time on my hands, so I've been around town, yes," he said and he just sounded so… grown-up, Cat couldn't believe.

She glanced at her clock; it was almost 11 pm.

"How about lunch today, then?" Cat asked. She was truly eager.

"Yes, sounds perfect. We'll meet there, then, Cat," he said.

"Great then!"

She wouldn't expect him to call her 'mom' or anything close, but it was still slightly weird to be called 'Cat' by someone who is, after all, your son.

She called Carter to let him know that they would meet and he sounded almost as excited as he was after he had spent the day with Kara.

As she settled back in her chair to work some more until she'd go to pick up Carter she remembered that Kara used to work there, at Noonan's, before landing this job. She had her resume memorized.

She looked up at Kara's desk to find her typing and talking on the phone, doing her job. She looked so… ordinary, like nothing had happened, like she hadn't told her anything heart-breaking.

She shook her head and started working. Work would always take her mind off anything. She knew this was her true passion the moment she realized she could work for hours and not get tired or bored, or not let herself interrupted by anything.

Adam was the cost of this. All it took was her to give him up so that she can do what she truly loved.

Those two hours she had planned of working flew by and as she got out through her glass doors, she said, "Kiera, I'm going out for lunch. Don't call me unless there are any emergencies."

She didn't double-think what she was going to tell her, so she too was surprised of how rough that just sounded. But she didn't think much into it either. She did say 'strictly professional', two words she now hated, so she was just… acting the way she did on Kara's first days. Except she now had feelings for her; _much better_ , she thought, sarcastically.

Half an hour later she was standing outside Noonan's with Carter next to her; he was 12 and almost as tall as her.

"Are you nervous?" he suddenly asked her. She was; she really was.

"A bit, but we're going to get to know him, we'll talk and hopefully we'll keep on talking after that."

"Well, you sound nervous; come on, there's nothing to be afraid of. Except if he's like, a murdered or so," Carter said and it made Cat laugh; just what she needed.

"Let's go," she said, as she pushed the doors of the restaurant. Then she realized something. "Wait, how do we know who he is?"

"Oh, I looked him up on Facebook," Carter said casually.

"You have a Facebook account?!" She might've said it a bit too loud.

"You do," he shot back. "There he is," he said and started walking towards a tall, brown haired boy who stood up and looked at them. He was handsome, hearty looking.

"Hi," he said as soon as they reached the table.

Carter didn't really hesitate; he hugged him almost the second they got there. Adam seemed a bit surprised at first, but then he hugged him back, laughing. "You must be Carter. Nice to meet you buddy," he said after they pulled back.

"He's a hugger," Cat said as they sat down.

"I see. Well, lucky for you Carter, I like hugs too," he said.

They boys laughed and Cat noted the first thing he learned about him. Her boys were both huggers.

"Did you order yet?" Cat asked, smiling kindly.

"No, I waited for you," he said and waved at a waitress to bring them their menus.

The waitress was tall, with blonde hair. _Are you kidding me?_ Cat asked herself. All she needed was the glasses and she was a close second to Kara. She could really picture her working here. Polite and kind as she is; the costumers' favorite employee.

She shook her head. _Focus on your boys._

"So Adam, you finished high-school this year?" she asked, starting the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm heading to college next year," he said.

"Whoa, college… what major?" Carter asked curiously.

"I really like writing, so I'm heading for a journalism future, actually," he said, looking back at a surprised Cat.

"Oh… that's great to hear," Cat replied eagerly.

"Yeah, I guess… like mother like son, right?"

Cat laughed, a bit nervously, but she was genuinely happy to hear so. Meanwhile the waitress stopped by to take their orders.

"And you Carter? Do you have any passions so far?" Adam asked, engaging in the talk, after the nice, blonde waitress left.

He was a conversationalist. He liked talking, being interested in people.

"I really love reading, and in school I'm not a big fan of anything that involves calculus or formulas. Besides, our teacher is mean to me. He really doesn't like me," he said, pouting.

"He might not like them, but he still studies a lot," Cat said proudly. "He's an over-achiever. Like me," she said, running her hand through his curls.

"That makes three of us, then," Adam said as the waitress came with their drinks.

Everything was going pretty well, with Adam and Carter asking questions back and forth, Cat learning more and more about her older son. The three of them were fairly similar, as both Cat and Adam had their passion in writing, Adam and Carter found their topic of discussion in talking about books.

"And I hear CatCO is going strong," he said after talking about their passions.

Cat gulped, nodding stiffly, but keeping her smile. "Yeah, it's going pretty well. I have an amazing team by my side, very faithful and hardworking."

"Oh, Adam, you should meet with her assistant once. She's the best," Carter said, getting enthusiastic again.

"Yeah, I met up with her for about a few seconds when I had to give her the letter," Adam said.

"Oh, you did?" Cat asked, surprised.

"Well, she's your assistant. Isn't she the one who picks up your packages and parcels?"

"Right, of course, yes," Cat said, laughing perhaps a bit too much.

Both of her sons looked slightly confused at their mother.

"Are you… okay, mom?" Carter asked.

"Yes, just fine," she said. "It's complicated…" Cat added finally, when she saw her answer still wasn't satisfying the youngsters.

Adam suddenly smiled, widening his eyes. "You're… you're into her," he said.

"What? No! I'm not _into_ her," Cat said, suddenly embarrassed.

She took a sip of her drink to conceal her blush, but it was unsuccessful. Adam continued with the truth.

"Yes, you are. Look, it's fine, I'm all for the community and all," Adam said, his eyes reassuring.

"So you're actually into girls? That's why you never stayed with any of our fathers?" Carter asked with his innocent, curious eyes Cat couldn't resist to tell the truth.

"Well, your fathers weren't really there for me when I needed them," Cat said. "And she's different. I… I think I might be feeling something for this girl," Cat said at last. She didn't _think_ ; she _knew_. But she didn't want to make it the big deal it is.

"And I take it it's not going very well," Adam said.

Cat looked down, vulnerable. "No, it's not."

"But why?" Carter asked, saddened. "When we hung out she told me you were the best boss and that you were really great and understanding and kind."

Kind? Cat almost laughed at the thought. If anyone was kind, that was Kara.

Cat placed her arm over Carter's shoulders. "It's more than just being a good boss, Carter. People, they sometimes just can't… be together, no matter how much they want to."

As she looked back at Adam, she realized the statement was actually working for their case too. No matter how much she would've wanted to raise him, she had chosen her passion.

"That's not always true," her oldest said. "If those two people really want it, anything can be made to work out. You think, you try to find solutions and it'll work out eventually," he continued, sending a subliminal message. At first Cat thought they were red flags. But then he smiled. "Anything can work out if we want it to."

Cat felt her eyes tear up, and she didn't stop them. Whenever they would fall, she would know they were happy tears; because she finally came at peace with all her regrets and bad thoughts about leaving Adam. She'd never forget it; but she would forgive herself.

She reached out and held his hand, showing her smile to both of her boys.

"Listen, I think you should… you should tell her. Tell her and go from there," Adam said. "It worked out for me."

They all laughed. Adam continued. "Besides, she seemed really nice. I mean in those three seconds we talked, but still. First impressions matter."

"She really is nice," Carter said.

"I think Carter may be a bigger fan of her than I am," Cat said and laughed.

"I'm just saying. You know what I told you, mom… I told you she's a keeper," Carter said and Cat was perplexed.

"Wait, you…"

"No, I didn't know you like her. I just realized she really is one, in every way."

"Right…" Cat said, suspiciously.

"Look, no matter what you chose, we'll both have your back," Adam encouraged her.

"Yes, definitely; I mean Opal City isn't that far, you can come more often, right?" Carter asked, his good spirits popping up again.

"I can, and I will come more often," he said. "Besides, if turns out to break your heart or such, we'll take care of her," he said protectively.

Cat widened her eyes. "Okay, no, stop, no need for violence," she said. _Besides, she's Supergirl, she could take us all out in a few seconds_ , she thought. "If she does break my heart, I will handle her myself. I'm still her boss."

"Oh, you are one tough boss, I assume," Adam joked.

"She is," Carter whispered to his brother.

They carried on, talking and laughing, finding out more about each other.

When they parted they promised they would keep in touch, call and meet anytime they could.

All problems could be fixed if we just look into them, try to figure out solutions and work our way out of the maze. The key is simply to not give up because that means we don't believe in ourselves enough. If we don't give up, better things will come our way.

Cat knew she shouldn't have given up on Adam, even if she couldn't raise him. She should've visited him, called him, be interested in him.

Because she found out she had two boys she could always rely on from now on and it felt nicer than she could've ever imagined.

And Adam managed to convince her she should and would try to approach Kara. She didn't know how she'd react after all of this, but she was sure of one thing; she knew Kara was worth it trying.


	8. Tell her

Here it is, my final chapter for this story. I've had a really good time writing it, putting my version for this relationship out there. Thank you to my very good friend who edited it and helped me make it as good as possible, she's a very important part of this. And thank you to every single person who has read this story, thank you for all the awesome comments, I appreciate you very much! I hope you've enjoyed my little writing with these two great characters.

-.-.-.-

"What the hell are you doing?" Cat asked, talking to herself as she watched a mad Supergirl wreak havoc in National City. All the channels were once again setting their cameras and reporters on the hero, but this time she could hardly be called a hero.

She was throwing cars around, aiming for innocent people, destroying buildings and massive TVs on the streets with her X-ray vision and taking down anyone who aimed towards her.

She was now a villain.

This was not her Kara; Kara liked saving people, not _endangering_ them. She liked putting out fires, not _initiating_ them. Something was wrong.

Something was physically wrong and yet she couldn't help but ask herself, _did I do this?_

 _Did I turn her into some kind of a monster because I distanced myself?_

But she didn't think that was it. Whenever the cameras caught a closer shot of her face, her eyes were different; they were dark, dangerous. She had the same evil, mad grin on her face like Livewire the night she came to destroy Cat. But Livewire came for revenge; what did Supergirl have to pour her rage out for?

She shot the deadly rays out of her eyes generously, like it was a gift, hardly caring where they landed. She punched whoever got close to her, ricocheting their bullets. She did not lose her wicked grin and her eyes read a menacing threat. It was a terrifying, unwanted danger.

Where was the Supergirl she and Carter deeply admired?

Cat reached for her phone, calling Alex. She really didn't know who else to call; besides, there wasn't anyone else.

"Agent Danvers," Cat started once Alex picked up.

"Miss Grant? Hello?" Kara's sister sounded rather surprised.

"Look, there's no time to act surprised because Supergirl's gone rogue. I know it's her, I know it's Kara; or at least I thought I did. What's going on?" Cat asked straight-forwardly; she didn't want to waste any time.

Pushing away any other questions of how she knew Supergirl's identity, Alex said, "Well… we believe her brain is affected by a substance called Red Kryptonite. It makes her… bad. As you can see, she's not herself; she destroys everything in her way, anyone who tries to pin her down for the good of the city. We tried talking to her, but there's no outcome. She won't listen."

"And? Have you figured out how to stop her?"

"We're close. Our labs are close to an answer. We've been introduced to this substance a while ago but… we didn't exactly pay attention to it, as we hid it away from her. We don't know how she got in contact with it."

"Alright, well keep me updated please," Cat said, feeling slightly better. At least they knew which way to approach this situation.

"Sure. And Miss Grant?"

"Call me Cat," she said, knowing she could trust Alex Danvers no matter what.

"Cat, don't for a second think this is your fault."

She felt like she had to sit down now. "What are you talking about?"

"I know her, I know my sister. I know she has feelings for you and I know you do too. Kara won't shut up about you. Now, I don't know that if by distancing yourself you did a good decision for either of your or not, but that's none of my business. But she's not doing any of this because of what you told her; she's not revenging on her city because of what you feel for each other. Her brain is altered and she would never dare do anything like this if she were in her straight mind. Don't blame yourself. Just… she'll be back, Cat, I promise."

Even though she couldn't see her, Cat nodded and said in a calmer voice, "Thank you, Alex."

"I'll keep you posted," Alex said. "I have to go now."

She put her phone down and glanced towards the TVs; Supergirl was nowhere to be seen anymore. Cat frowned, looking closer to try and spot her, but she wasn't there. She felt some sort of a panic rush in.

Then, as she turned towards the balcony, she saw her. She was leaning against the railing, watching closely.

Cat swallowed hard and made her way to the balcony, keeping her posture straight and her attitude cold and detached; as always.

"So you've decided going bad too now? Take your revenge on me?"

"Oh, no, I'd never hurt you," Supergirl said, her voice strange. It was hoarse, low, but still audible. Everything about her was so different. Like this Red Kryptonite changed her completely. "And I thought you wouldn't either; but it looks like I was wrong. You did hurt me, and in the worst possible way."

Cat felt her heart sinking, her ears ringing with Kara's words. She stopped at the balcony's entrance.

"I never meant to hurt you; I did what I thought was best for both of us."

"Well what you thought was stupid! You really think that by distancing yourself from me your feelings and mine would just disappear, drown in your sea of regrets?" she asked, pausing, looking straight into Cat's eyes. "Well you were wrong," she said and started approaching Cat. "So… very…" she was very close to her now, their faces and bodies inches apart, "… _wrong_."

"I still have feelings for you, Cat, and they'll keep growing stronger." Her voice wasn't mocking or evil now; it was still harsh, but sincere nonetheless. "The more I'll see you, the more I hear you and feel you… the more I'll fall... That's what you wanted, isn't it? From the beginning? You needed someone, someone to fill whatever void you have in your heart. Then I walked in all sunny and perfect for this pedestrian job." She paused, laughing. "I really thought you'd tell me you can't live without me, that you _need_ me. But instead… instead you chose the easier way. Or… were you scared all this time? Are you scared that you depend on me too much?"

Before breaking the intense eye-contact, Cat saw yet another different thing in Kara's eyes; it was hurt, but mixed with her current fearless attitude. Her eyes weren't kind now, as they usually were; they were unrecognizable. So she looked down, because the truth hurt too much.

"Oh! Look, I got it! What's the matter? Now you know how I feel, don't you? It sucks, doesn't it?"

Kara brought her hand on Cat's chin, forcing her to look back to her. But once she did, she didn't let her grip go. She brought her chin closer to her lips, as if intending to actually kiss them. She moved her eyes from Cat's teary ones to her lips, moving in closer. When she was close enough, she stopped, pinning back up her menacing grin. She didn't move her hand, making Cat wince from the pain.

She started laughing and let go of Cat, retreating, putting more and more space between them slowly.

"Oh, Cat... the truth hurts, doesn't it?"

As she finished her words, she broke her contact and took off.

It was evening, past 10. There was no one left on the floor. No one there that could've… seen this. As she made her way back in her office, she closed the balcony doors and shut down all the TVs. She packed her things with her chin and jaw still aching like hell and tears rolling down her cheeks freely.

Carter was with his dad, so she was going to be all alone. She was terrified of the thought. She really didn't want to be alone, not now. She wasn't scared of this version of Supergirl. She was scared of where her life was going.

When she arrived home, she went straight to the shower and changed in her pyjamas. She couldn't bear physically to do anything else.

She thought back on Supergirl's "visit". Everything was different about her. Her eyes, though hurt, told a different story. They told the story from a different place, a scarier one. Her constant grin which started to feel so annoying to Cat was just as hurt as a normal sad smile of Kara's, but it was more confident. Her whole attitude, posture was more confident because she was led by this stupid substance which made her say things she didn't mean, act in ways she would never. She was driven by a stupid, blind self-esteem. The Kara Danvers that she knew, though hurt and brokenhearted would never act this way, she would never mean to hurt Cat back, even if she was. Because in a different world, where Kara's brain had been clear, she would've known and cared that Cat was hurt too, maybe even more hurt than herself. In a different, better world she would've known.

But this was the situation, the case in point, her heart broken into several more pieces, her integrity and confidence brought down to the ground and with her lower face still hurting, Cat was lost. She was all alone, completely lost and scared.

She fell asleep at long last, crying the last few months out. And when she woke up she was feeling just as terrible and miserable, but she had to get out of bed. Her eyes were swollen, showing just how miserable she was. Her lower jaw was slightly purple; the concealer couldn't hide it completely. Even if she had no power or will whatsoever, she had to stand up. She had to keep her head up high.

As her private elevator doors opened up, she noticed first thing that she wasn't there. The desk was just as it was last night, as she left it last time, clean and in order as ever.

She checked her private agenda, letting out a grateful sigh when she saw had nothing planned for today. It was one of those rare days with no meetings, no calls, no appointments, nothing.

Her phone ringed and she didn't know whether to sigh in relief or worry when she saw Alex's name on her screen.

"Hello?" she said, finding her voice.

"Good morning, Cat," Alex said and she couldn't read anything from her voice.

"Is it?"

"I think so," Alex replied confidently. "I don't know if you watched the news anymore after we talked, but we brought her down. Our department figured out an antidote for this stupid Kryptonite and now she's resting."

Cat closed her eyes, sighing in genuine relief.

"Oh, God, thank you," Cat said.

"Me or God?" Alex asked and Cat could hear her smiling.

"Both of you, all of you, any of you," Cat said, smiling a bit herself.

Alex laughed and said, "She should be back and ready to work tomorrow."

"Alright, take care of her," Cat said, feeling stronger.

"Of course; we'll keep in touch, Cat," Alex said.

"We will."

Even if last night's pain wasn't gone yet, and wouldn't be for some time, she started working and getting lost in her work and passion. The day went by, slowly, yet faster than yesterday's.

She definitely missed Kara and everything about her. She missed seeing her simply… work outside her glass walls. She liked it whenever she came in her office to bring her the smallest things, to ask the dumbest questions and to ask for the advice Cat would always love to give her.

But to her luck, or maybe misfortune, when she was on her balcony at the end of the day, she heard the well-known high-heeled boots come closer and closer to her until they finally stopped.

Cat was leaning against the railing again, facing the city. She didn't turn when Kara was standing right behind her, she just lowered her head. She knew it was her; she simply felt her presence. She let her speak first.

It took her a while to get started, to gather her words and when she did, her voice was nothing but defeated. "Miss Grant, I… I'm so sorry, I had no idea what I was doing, or saying, I never meant to say anything I said to you."

When she finally turned to face Kara, she saw that her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't look as defeated as she actually sounded.

"You don't remember anything you told me, do you?" Cat asked.

Kara's eyes shooting to the bruised skin on her jaw. "Did I…" she tried to ask, but her voice broke. She looked down, shaking her head.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Cat told her. "That's the least of my worries," she added. "So do you remember?"

"I hardly remember anything from last night; I remember breaking cars, buildings, hurting people. My brain just kept telling me to do so, I didn't stop. I _couldn't_ stop. It's like I was taken by this rage, by this stupid need to… I don't know, avenge. I made everything look like I'd gotten tired of this whole thing, of doing my superhero job when it's nothing like that. I lost people's trust… I lost their faith and possibly worse, I… I hurt you. No matter what I said, I know I hurt you because whatever I told you, it can't have been good. I hurt you and I am so, so sorry…" Kara started getting closer to her, small steps, trying to fix the damage step by step. By the time she finished what she was saying, she was close to Cat, close enough for Cat to feel her undeniably comforting scent.

"You didn't know what you were doing; you weren't in control of your actions. But I still kept thinking… you didn't say those words because you wanted to hurt me; you didn't say them out of the blue. You said them because they existed, somewhere deep down you, but you would never put them out in the open if it were otherwise. It's what you felt, you wanted me to know what you felt like when I'd put up the fence between us; even though I was hurt long before that, you just… you had to put it all out there, to free yourself of this, and that's just as understandable and logic and natural as keeping it to yourself would be, like I did. If it weren't for this stupid Red Kryptonite, you'd have those feelings bottled up and that's the worst. Maybe you couldn't have found the courage to tell me everything otherwise. So now it's all out there, and that's it. There's no going back, there's no taking back anything."

Kara nodded and looked at Cat, almost smiling. Just barely. Her eyes were fixed on Cat's, just like last night, but this time… this time the person standing in front of her was truly Kara. Even if they were hurt, Kara's eyes were still kind, kind as the first time she'd walked in her office.

They were asking, Cat knew. So she formed a small smile and closed her arms around Kara. She melted in her embrace, this simple contact being everything that Kara needed. She rested her head against Cat's shoulder and kept her hands on the small of her back. She started crying, the smaller blonde holding her tightly. Kara was holding on for dear life, and Cat held her until her heartbeat calmed down again. She could hold her for how long she needed, she knew she needed the support and reassuring that no matter what happened, it didn't get between them. Between whatever this was.

When she pulled back, Cat wiped away her tears gently, smiling at her.

"Please forgive me," Kara said in a hushed voice.

Now it was Cat's turn to tear up. Those three simple words were just so… out of place; it was none of Kara's fault and yet she would still apologize for something she didn't do, but for something she _felt_.

"You didn't do anything, you just vocalized what you felt; what I would've never had the courage to tell you because… that's me. I built the walls and caged myself and I couldn't get out. I didn't let myself feel anymore, feel what I wanted, what I needed all along."

"But you did tell me; by putting up distance between us, you told me you felt something for me. But long before that, your eyes would always tell me what they felt. It's true you can manage to keep any part of your body cold and detached, but so many times your eyes, they just… spoke honestly."

Everything her sons had told her ran through her mind. They were still close to each other, their arms holding the other one close. Kara reached out and stroked Cat's cheek ever so slightly and undoubtedly, shivers ran down Cat's spine faster and stronger than ever.

"I never meant to hurt you; I never wanted you to get to know that dark side of me," Kara said.

"Wait, so you knew the effect Red Kryptonite had on you?" Cat asked, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah; we studied it some time ago and I knew I should never get in contact with it. And yet, I… I don't know how I ended up near it. I was angry and I was heading to the training room, but I wasn't thinking and as soon as I realized where I was, that I'd entered the wrong room, I knew I was in trouble. I can't remember much after that," Kara said, looking down and pulling herself away from Cat.

Cat suddenly felt the cold take her over, even though it was a warm summer evening.

"Look, it's all over now," Cat said in a reassuring voice. "You're fine and…"

"I have feelings for you, Cat," Kara told her suddenly.

It was the first time Kara ever called her by her first name and to be honest, Cat felt good. She felt more personal and intimate; closer to Kara, if that was even possible. She smiled.

"I do too," she replied. Now their feelings were most definitely out in the open, in clear words. "But Kara, I don't know if… I just want what's best for you."

Kara's eyes were glistening with tears. In a swift, immediate, yet delicate move she brought her hands to Cat's cheeks, pulling her in a soft kiss. As their lips touched, they both melted in each other's presence, finally telling each other what they really felt for so long, through possibly the most sincere way to do it.

When their lips parted, Kara said, her voice turned to a whisper, "You're what's best for me."

Cat pulled her in her embrace again, this time with a different reason, not to comfort her or to reassure, but to welcome her. To finally let her in.

Kara buried her face in Cat's neck, taking a deep breath, taking this moment in.

As she pulled back, Kara asked, "So what is this?"

"Whatever we want it to be; whatever we're ready to tell."

This time Cat leaned in, kissing Kara's pink, soft lips. This kiss was a different one, a more passionate one; the kind where you start discovering the other one, exploring them.

Cat finally felt at home, in the arms of this girl who she couldn't help but love. Love everything about her; all the small things, all her secrets, quirks and habits. She loved her and it was just the beginning. She wanted to get to know everything about her; she wanted to find out what her place looks like, what she truly likes, what are her passions. She wanted to wake up next to her, to hold her, to spend time with her in a different, more intimate way. She wanted to discover what turned her on, what would bring her to the edge. There was so much more left for her to explore and she was ready.

She was free from the cage; the wall was taken down and the girl was finally in her arms.


End file.
